The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) are strategizing to boost their appeal among young people following Jan. 13’s presidential and legislative elections, which saw many young voters favoring the Taiwan People’s Party presidential candidate.
The DPP’s overall campaign strategy leading up to the elections was criticized as old-fashioned and ignoring communication with young people.
Some DPP members believed that some of the young voters who used to support the DPP shifted to TPP presidential candidate Ko Wen-je (柯文哲), who created a large group of young supporters dubbed “little grass” (小草).
Photo: CNA
Many foreign guests who visited the DPP last year wondered why young people switched support from the DPP to the TPP, DPP Youth Director Juan Chun-ta (阮俊達) said.
Those who voted for the first time last month were born between 2000 and 2004, and alternating between parties is viewed as common, he said.
Young people tend to be optimistic and believe that democracy would not regress and there would be no election-meddling, so painting the elections as a choice between democracy and authoritarianism was often ignored, he said.
Young people are anti-system and anti-authority, and hate being lectured by elders, whereas Ko’s language appealed to them, he said.
The issues they are concerned about are work, rent and road rights for motorcyclists, while the DPP focused on defending Taiwan against China and cognitive warfare, he said.
The DPP should address the worries, anxieties and hopes of young people in ways that touch them, which the party is still figuring out, he said.
Some party members also questioned whether young voters were the only group in which it lost support.
The DPP should maintain communication with all Taiwanese, including the middle class, citizen groups and social movement groups, they said.
Wang Yi-chuan (王義川), incoming director of the DPP’s Policy Research and Coordinating Committee, said that the party would use diverse methods to get in touch with various groups to better understand their needs and adjust policies accordingly.
Chan Ho-shun (詹賀舜), incoming director of the DPP’s Center for New Media, said that the party should focus on producing content that is easy to understand and appeal to social media users, who would then help share and spread the message.
Meanwhile, the KMT would strive to provide stages for young people, nominate more young candidates in representative elections, adopt more progressive values and manage new media, KMT spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智?) said.
Mobilizing the support of young people — with the KMT lagging far behind the DPP and the TPP in the elections — is a key issue.
It is important to make young people feel that they would have opportunities and a future after joining the KMT, including the opportunity to serve as party cadres and participate in the party’s decisionmaking process, Yang said.
Appointing young Taoyuan City Councilor Ling Tao (凌濤) and Legislator Hung Mong-kai (洪孟楷) to lead the KMT’s Culture and Communications Committee was a good example that the party will continue to follow, she said.
The KMT nominated 15 candidates under the age of 40 in the legislative elections, 10 of whom won, she said, adding that the party is to recruit more young candidates to join the local elections in 2026.
Many perceive the KMT as old-school and conservative, an image that should be broken by the creativity shown in the party’s clothing, visual design and the appearance of the headquarters, she said.
KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) takes cultivating young people seriously, calling on elders to take a step back and provide political stages for young people, party members said.
The current establishment of the party might not be able to cover all the online media platforms, so resource allocation should be carefully thought out, they said.
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The